Pronouns: a rant.

Most people are male, some people are female.

Some people are neither.

Some people are both.

Some people change from one to the other.

There is currently a campaign to encourage people to state in their email signatures the pronouns with which they would wish to be referred.

Are they he or she, or they, or something else entirely?

Getting these wrong (it's called mis-gendering) can cause offence, and few of us wish to give offence. So let's take this as an example to ease further our interactions with other people. 

My new email signature (to avoid offence) should read:

She/her/hers. Female. Woman. Married to a man. English/British. White, as far as she's noticed. Not racist. Supporter of Millwall Football Club. In her sixties. Likes her garden to be a bit over-grown. Loves Jane Austen, doesn't love Dickens. Writer of children's books. Against the death sentence. Doesn't like much TV. Not into conspiracy theories. Not a creationist.

Well, that's a start. But then people still might say offensive things about grouse moors, rap, and Brexit.

Oh dear... 

...it looks as if I'm going to have to learn to cope with other people's ignorance and opinions, doesn't it.

Word To Use Today: offence. This word comes from the Old French offendre to strike against, from the Latin offendere, from ob- against and fendere to strike.